Editorials – Navigatorhttp://www.thenav.ca
VIU Student PressThu, 15 Nov 2018 19:38:29 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.8https://i0.wp.com/www.thenav.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/cropped-Asset-2.png?fit=32%2C32Editorials – Navigatorhttp://www.thenav.ca
323259156012Reckoning with #MeToo as a manhttp://www.thenav.ca/2018/10/19/reckoning-with-metoo-as-a-man/
http://www.thenav.ca/2018/10/19/reckoning-with-metoo-as-a-man/#respondFri, 19 Oct 2018 16:00:33 +0000http://www.thenav.ca/?p=13016For me, seventh grade was the first year of middle school. I had no idea what middle school would be like, and being new in Kelowna, I had no idea who I’d be going to school with. As the school year progressed I found my place, but I noticed something I’d never seen before. Guys […]]]>

For me, seventh grade was the first year of middle school. I had no idea what middle school would be like, and being new in Kelowna, I had no idea who I’d be going to school with. As the school year progressed I found my place, but I noticed something I’d never seen before. Guys were constantly going around and slapping girls asses or groping them in some way. It seemed like I was the only one not doing it. A friend of mine told me that girls like guys that are assholes, so I became an asshole.

Looking back at my own life, I can pick out multiple times where something I thought was normal could have been traumatic or uncomfortable for women. I haven’t always lived up to being a friend and ally to women. It took me most of my teenage life to truly treat women with respect. With the last year of the #MeToo movement, and recent developments in the United States political theatre, I wonder how many other men don’t realize how their actions impact women.

As men, it is not our place to tell women what they should or should not do in the context of #MeToo. Our job is to listen. Our job is to provide a safe environment where women in our lives feel comfortable sharing their experiences with us. These will not be comfortable conversations. These conversations may expose a side of you or a side of your friends that you find deplorable. It’s your job to change those aspects of yourself, not blame women for exposing them.

There’s a dangerous line of conversation going around now that no men are safe, and that any woman could make a “false claim” to ruin a man’s life. The President of the United States has openly promoted this belief. It’s fundamentally flawed. It’s disgusting that someone could be more concerned about a man’s reputation being damaged than about a survivor of sexual misconduct finding justice. Studies have found that between two to ten percent of claims turn out to be false or lack sufficient evidence. Meanwhile, ten to 20 percent of men will be sexually assaulted at some point in their lifetime in Canada alone. Despite the higher likelihood of men to be assaulted than to have a false claim against them, it’s rarer to hear men speaking about against sexual violence than to hear them speaking out against false claims.

The narrative that a man’s career is more important than instances of sexual assault promotes a culture where survivors will be reluctant to come forward. When someone is brave enough to share their experience and relive their trauma, every effort should be made to properly investigate the allegations. They should not be attacked further.

There are also things men can do in our daily lives. Don’t touch people without their consent. Don’t make lewd sexual comments to people. Don’t comment exclusively on someone’s sexual attractiveness unless you’re in a relationship with them; some people may laugh it off, but it’s deeply uncomfortable more often than not. Take no for an answer—accepting rejection is a normal part of life. Nobody is obligated to go out with you, sit with you, dance with you, or have sex with you. Respect that. Call out other men for negative behaviour, let them know that what they’re doing is not okay. And most importantly, treat women with the respect and decency that you’d want to be treated with.

#MeToo is about more than bringing sex criminals to justice. It’s about changing our culture and preventing sexual violence from happening in the future. That change won’t happen without men looking inside themselves and coming to terms with behaviours that allow this culture to continue.

]]>http://www.thenav.ca/2018/10/19/reckoning-with-metoo-as-a-man/feed/013016Keeping opioid users alivehttp://www.thenav.ca/2018/10/19/keeping-opioid-users-alive/
http://www.thenav.ca/2018/10/19/keeping-opioid-users-alive/#respondFri, 19 Oct 2018 16:00:19 +0000http://www.thenav.ca/?p=13020I am sick of my friends dying from preventable opioid overdoses. Opioid use disorder is a medical condition and should be treated as such. We don’t force people with diabetes to buy contaminated insulin off the street, so why do we force people with opioid use disorder to buy fentanyl-contaminated opioids off the street? According […]]]>

I am sick of my friends dying from preventable opioid overdoses.

Opioid use disorder is a medical condition and should be treated as such. We don’t force people with diabetes to buy contaminated insulin off the street, so why do we force people with opioid use disorder to buy fentanyl-contaminated opioids off the street?

According to the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), from January to June of this year, 742 people have died in BC from unintentional illicit overdoses. Of those 742 overdose deaths, 81 percent involved fentanyl, an opioid that is 100 times stronger than morphine and extremely toxic at low doses. Opioid users aren’t typically looking to use fentanyl—rather, the opioids and other drugs they buy off the street are laced with it.

To save hundreds of lives, we should supply non-contaminated, pharmaceutical-grade opioids to opioid users. Currently, the BCCDC is piloting a program that provides hydromorphone to people at risk of overdose. Hopefully, the program will become widespread across this province. It’s the compassionate thing to do. Opioid users can’t seek help if they’re dead.

Rest in peace, Sam and Alan.

]]>http://www.thenav.ca/2018/10/19/keeping-opioid-users-alive/feed/013020Mac Miller, human beinghttp://www.thenav.ca/2018/09/13/mac-miller-human-being/
http://www.thenav.ca/2018/09/13/mac-miller-human-being/#respondThu, 13 Sep 2018 16:00:55 +0000http://www.thenav.ca/?p=12856On September 7, rapper and producer Mac Miller (whose real name was Malcolm McCormick) died of a suspected overdose. He was only twenty-six years old. Throughout my addiction, I listened to his music. It was therapeutic. I was lonely, depressed, and couldn’t stop using substances, and his words touched on each of those subjects with […]]]>

On September 7, rapper and producer Mac Miller (whose real name was Malcolm McCormick) died of a suspected overdose. He was only twenty-six years old.

Throughout my addiction, I listened to his music. It was therapeutic. I was lonely, depressed, and couldn’t stop using substances, and his words touched on each of those subjects with a rawness that gave me both comfort and goosebumps. Putting on a Mac Miller track was like talking to a close friend who was dealing with the same issues that I was. After several stays in treatment centres, I am now five years sober.

A few hours after finding out the news, I went on YouTube to listen to my favourite Mac Miller songs. I started crying within 30 seconds of “Best Day Ever.” The music video features home videos of a young Mac—from about two to five years old—dancing, playing, and hanging out with his family. At one point, he’s sitting on what looks to be his grandpa’s lap. At another, he’s staring into his father’s eyes with the kind of deep, innocent love only a child possesses. It reminded me of my childhood. In light of his passing, it’s haunting.

When I hear and read conversations about people who use substances, especially regarding the current overdose and homelessness crisis in BC, I’m startled by the lack of humanity. As a society, we should offer people with substance use disorders the same empathy and attention we provide to people with other deadly, chronic conditions. However, instead of offering a helping hand, we blame “those junkies.”

If only they had a job.

If only they tried harder.

If only they were a good person.

I wonder if we’d look at people with substance use disorders differently if we had a chance to watch home videos from their childhood.

Rest easy, Mac Miller.

]]>http://www.thenav.ca/2018/09/13/mac-miller-human-being/feed/012856Not out of the woods yethttp://www.thenav.ca/2018/09/13/not-out-of-the-woods-yet/
http://www.thenav.ca/2018/09/13/not-out-of-the-woods-yet/#respondThu, 13 Sep 2018 16:00:29 +0000http://www.thenav.ca/?p=128592018 was BC’s second worst wildfire season in history, following 2017 as the worst fire season on record. Over 600 wildfires burned simultaneously up and down the province this year. The provincial government was forced to declare a state of emergency to combat the threat. Smoke from the BC fires has floated across the country, […]]]>

2018 was BC’s second worst wildfire season in history, following 2017 as the worst fire season on record. Over 600 wildfires burned simultaneously up and down the province this year. The provincial government was forced to declare a state of emergency to combat the threat.

Smoke from the BC fires has floated across the country, making it as far as the Maritime provinces. BC had the overall worst air quality in North America in August 2018, and some of the communities hardest hit by wildfires experienced weeks of thick black smoke that blotted out the sun.

Wildfires in the Nanaimo area this summer made the city’s air quality among the worst in the province. The Nanaimo Lakes fire was caused by someone littering a cigarette butt. Think about that. Just one cigarette butt caused a community of 90,000 people to breathe air equivalent to smoking 12 cigarettes a day.

Rainy weather and colder temperatures have provided some relief for residents and firefighters in BC recently, however, fires are still burning. As of September 8, there 407 wildfires in BC, and 29 that pose a threat to public safety.

BC communities are adopting Fire Smart practices to protect their homes from the flames. There are also efforts underway to clear forest brush, dead trees, and reduce wildfire fuel through controlled burns. Will we be prepared for the challenges of summer 2019? It is difficult to say.

We know for certain that the effects of smoke inhalation have caused health problems for people with respiratory issues, as well as those with weak immune systems like infants and the elderly. The smoke has also been linked to mental health issues as people spend more time inside and are isolated from their communities. Another smoke-related issue is the economic impact. Areas like Kelowna, BC, have lost revenue from tourism, and have even encouraged local shopping sprees as a way to offset their losses. It will be months before the impact of the fires can be assessed, however, the province has already spent $429 million fighting the fires since April.

For now, we can celebrate the reprieve from air quality advisories, and rejoice that the state of emergency has been lifted. But we cannot let the lack of smoke lull us into a false sense of security: extreme weather conditions are expected to continue in 2019. We’re not out of the woods yet. In fact, we may have just entered them.

]]>http://www.thenav.ca/2018/09/13/not-out-of-the-woods-yet/feed/01285950 years of Navigationhttp://www.thenav.ca/2018/04/13/50-years-of-navigation/
http://www.thenav.ca/2018/04/13/50-years-of-navigation/#respondFri, 13 Apr 2018 07:11:22 +0000http://www.thenav.ca/?p=12720The Navigator is turning 50 next year. That’s right, 50, the big five-oh. We’ll be an official quinquagenarian—say that five times fast. We’ve been shaking things up at the Nav. As Spenser notes, we’ve made some changes to our format and content that we hope you’ve all been enjoying. If you liked us this year, […]]]>

The Navigator is turning 50 next year. That’s right, 50, the big five-oh. We’ll be an official quinquagenarian—say that five times fast.

We’ve been shaking things up at the Nav. As Spenser notes, we’ve made some changes to our format and content that we hope you’ve all been enjoying. If you liked us this year, you’re going to love next year. I can’t say what we’re planning yet, but I can tell you to keep an eye on our social media pages for big announcements leading up to our 50th anniversary volume in September.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed their work to the magazine this year. Whether fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, features, op-eds, art, or photography, our contributors have consistently contributed quality work that makes the Nav special. Our goal is to provide publishing opportunities to the VIU community, and we invite the entire community—students, faculty, alumni, and staff—to join us in celebration of our 50th.

I’ve been at VIU for three years. Next year will be my fourth, and likely my last. That being said, my knowledge of VIU is relatively small compared to some individuals on campus who have been with the institution for decades. We want to hear your stories. I hope that all members of the VIU community, both new and old, will share even more of their experiences with us next year.